BRUNSWICK, Ohio
- The search for good health has led many Americans to alternatives to
traditional western medicine. Yet, it's
still surprising to many local residents that there is a licensed acupuncturist
in Brunswick.

Dr Tamara Macdonald is a licensed and board
certified acupuncturist who has been practicing in Brunswick for
seven years. Her North Coast Natural health office recently moved from Pearl
Road to3929
Center Road. This was one of her shorter moves.

Dr. Macdonald's parents were natives of Michigan
who were transferred to Hawaii
where she grew up. She attended the University
of Hawaii and earned a degree in
communications. During her senior year, she met a professor from Miami University
of Ohio who talked to her about a graduate assistantship program, believing she
would be a good candidate. She didn't take him up on the offer.

"After graduating, I was waiting tables," she said, "when he
called again and I thought, "why not," and moved to Oxford,
where I earned my master's degree." That
was 1984 when she met her husband-to-be, Marc. But she wasn't through traveling
and Marc was just a good friend at the time.

A needle is applied to the patient's hand.'Sam' Boyer

Following graduation, she moved to California
and worked in Silicone Valley
for several years where she found many nontraditional medical ideas and was
exposed to alternative medicine. "I started looking into them, going to
conferences. These were things outside the box and I started thinking some of
them were very valuable. So, I began researching medical schools and, in my
30s, attended Bastyr University
in Kenmore, Washington."

She said Bastyr is one of the world's leading academic
centers in the natural health sciences and natural medicine. The first two
years at Bastyr is comparable to that of a conventional medical student where the
studies include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, immunology, etc. Then
students branch off into a variety of natural medicine specialties. Dr.
Macdonald earned her four-year degree in naturopathy and also has a three-year master's
degree in acupuncture. The last six weeks of her education were spent in China
in a hospital in Chengdu.

"It was a great experience and it was interesting to see how
different things are. Here, everything is private but in China,
there would be 20 people in a room so everyone knew what you were in for," she
said.

She then worked for three years as a primary care physician
in the Seattle area. She married
Marc in 2006 and he felt they should move to Ohio.
His parents were in Columbus and
hers were back in Michigan. They
settled in Northeast Ohio for his job and she opened her
practice in Brunswick.

Dr. Macdonald is a nationally board certified naturopathic
physician and one of just two naturopathic physicians in Ohio who have
experience practicing as a primary care physician. She is a licensed naturopath
in Washington. But Ohio has no
licensure in that field. "It seems the east and west coasts are ahead of the Midwest
in that regard, but I think more and more people are interested in
alternatives. Recently, Minnesota
approved licensing of naturopathic physicians, so I'm hopeful," she said.

She is licensed to practice acupuncture in Ohio
and is a Diplomat, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine. As in all medical fields, she must continue her education to
retain her license and is a member of state and national professional
associations.

Her website offers a comprehensive view of her practice and those interested
can sign up to receive a newsletter or to attend Wellness Workshops starting
mid-January. The workshop will help people to learn how to identify, shop for,
and cook healthy foods to fit one's lifestyle and budget. For information, call 330-460-5155.

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